I Am A Fighter: Sarah Kaufman

Ahead of her attempt to recapture the Strikeforce Women’s bantamweight championship at the Valley View Casino in San Diego, California, Sarah Kaufman sat down to give fans some insight into her humble beginnings in the world of MMA. Kaufman retells the story of how she got into mixed martial arts after a gym opened beneath the dance studio she would practice at, and how one quick visit changed her life. The Vancouver, Canada native would go on to take time off of school, but continued to train, eventually making the jump to becoming a professional fighter.

Kaufman held the Strikeforce Women’s bantamweight title after defeating Takayo Hashi in 2010. She would defend her title against longtime women’s standout Roxanne Modafferi with a brutal knockout via slam. It was eight months later that the dancer-turned fighter would drop the title to Marloes Coenen via a submission loss. Sarah is undefeated since, most recently battering Alexis Davis in May, ironically on the card her opponent, Ronda Rousey, would take the title.